Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Boosts Position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its position in Masco Co. (NYSE:MAS) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,781,587 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,436 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Masco were worth $129,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Masco by 49.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 883,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $74,192,000 after buying an additional 291,658 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Masco during the third quarter valued at $201,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Masco by 20.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 331,883 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,147,000 after purchasing an additional 56,626 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Masco by 2.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 263,155 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $22,089,000 after buying an additional 7,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Masco in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 93.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Masco Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE MAS opened at $61.68 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $13.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.40, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.53. Masco Co. has a 1 year low of $56.55 and a 1 year high of $86.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.74, a current ratio of 1.75 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Masco (NYSE:MAS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.05). Masco had a net margin of 10.50% and a return on equity of 838.32%. The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Masco Co. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Masco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a positive change from Masco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. Masco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Masco

In related news, VP Renee Straber sold 3,139 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.78, for a total value of $225,317.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 33,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,370,678.06. This represents a 8.68 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Keith J. Allman sold 21,723 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.36, for a total transaction of $1,658,768.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 60,267 shares in the company, valued at $4,601,988.12. This trade represents a 26.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Masco from $92.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Masco from $74.00 to $62.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Masco from $82.00 to $71.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Loop Capital set a $62.00 price target on Masco and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Masco from $82.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Masco presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.10.

About Masco

Masco Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes home improvement and building products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company's Plumbing Products segment offers faucets, showerheads, handheld showers, valves, bath hardware and accessories, bathing units, shower bases and enclosures, sinks, toilets, acrylic tubs, shower trays, spas, exercise pools, and fitness systems; brass, copper, and composite plumbing system components; connected water products; thermoplastic solutions, extruded plastic profiles, specialized fabrications, and PEX tubing products; and other non-decorative plumbing products.